Machine for removing hairs from fur skins.



No. 754,381. PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904. T. G. MILLS.

MACHINE FOR REMOVING HAIR FROM FUR SKINS.

' APPLIOATION FILED Aug. 3, 1903.

no MODEL. 4 sums-sun's: 1.

Mam

rm: uonms PETERS co. I'NQTGUTHLL, WASNINOTON. 1:. cv

No. 754,381. PATBNTED MAR. 8,1904.

- T. 0. MILLS.

MACHINE FOR REMOVING HAIR FROM FUR SKINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3. 1903. 7

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' me new: "YER! c0; movmlmou mwnmou. n b.

'Nv. 754,381. PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

T. G. MILLS. I MACHINE FOR REMOVING HAIR FROM. FUR SKINS.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1903.

H0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

T. 0,. MILLS. MACHINE FOR mmovme HAIR FROM FUR SKINS.

} APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

wmvm/z MT/M55155.

"cams PETERS c0. vnoToyrmu, wnsumarok, n. cy

UNITED STATES Patented March 8, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS CHAMBERS MILLS, OF LONDON,.ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR REMOVINGIHAIRS FROM FUR SKINS- SPECIFIGATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 754,381, dated March 8, 1904.

Application filed August 3, 1903- To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs CHAMBERS MILLS, a subject of His Majesty theKing of Great-Britain, residing at London, England, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Removing Hairs fromFur Skins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the means for pulling orplucking rabbit or other suitable fur skins-that is, removing the hairstechnically known as kemps therefrom without injuring the fur, which is7 also cleansed from what is known as nature,

a kind of grease found to occur therein, particularly with the fur skinsof some animals, such as rabbits or hares, and which grease depreciatesthe value thereof owing to the loss experienced through it when the skinis put to use for manufacturing purposes. Althoughmachines have hithertobeen used for removing such hairs, they have only been capable ofimperfectly plucking out the long ones projecting .above thefur-surface, whereas by this invention both the long and short hairs areremoved without destroying the fur.

To enable this invention to be clearly understood, reference is made tothe appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation,and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of the machine. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlargeddetails illustrating the operation of a sliding table and connectedparts hereinafter described. Figs. 5 and 6 show alternative forms ofsurfaces for the pluckingdrum hereinafter described.

The sides of standards'l, connected together at the back and lower endsby plates 2 3, respectively constitute the framework of the machine, atthe front of which is loosely mounted a spindle 4, provided with ahandlever 5 and arms 6, the latter being connected at their outer endsby adjustable rods 7 to a sliding table 8, that. can be reciprocated onthe slides 9, formed integrally with the sides 1, or they may be platesattached thereto. A rubber-covered spindle 10 is supported in bracketsabove the inner edge of the table 8, While projecting forward therefromis a simi- $eria1 110.168.0130. (NomodeL) lar spindle 11, capable ofpassing between fluted rollers 12 and 13, that are rotated in the samedirection by means of toothed wheels 14 15 16 and which receive motionby band and pulley wheels 17 and 18 from the drivingshaft 19, on whichis also mounted a pulleywheel 20, connected to a similar wheel 21, fixedon the spindle 22 of the plucking-drum 23. This drum consists of endplates 24, with pins 25 arranged between same i and near the outercircumference for the purpose of holding circular rubber sleeves 26,which are pressed outward bya central packing block or sleeve 27 on thespindle 22 and compressed so that a number of projecting curved resilient surfaces are formed thereby. Other arrangements may, however, beemployed for compressing and pressing outwardly these rubber sleeves orthe blocks hereinafter described so long as the object in viewviz. thepresentation of suitable resilient surfaces is retained.

At'the ends of the spindle 22 are loosely mounted brackets 28, connectedat their up per ends to form a frame, the upper bar of which carries alug 29, forming a nut for a long screw 30, loosely attached to theprojection 31, carried by one of the standards 1, and which screwenables the frame which pivots on the spindle 22 to be rocked or given abackward or forward position." For holding the frame in the positiondesired the side brack e'ts 28 of same have a curved or quadrant slot32, through which pass boltsand nuts 33 to lock them to the standards.The brackets 28 also have slots 34 to take the ends of a bridge piece35, that carries in brackets at its endsa spindle or equivalent part 36,provided with or formed as a fluted metal or a fluted or plain rubbersleeve or part, so that it can be raised or lowered by a screw 37,passing through the part 50, such screw having a nut in a hand-Wheel 38.In addition to this set-screws 39 pass through the part 50 and abut onbridge-piece 35 to act as supports or steadying devices for the ends ofthe bridge 35 in conjunction with the screw 37. The screws 39 may belocked in the desired position by nuts 51.

At the back of the machine a fan is arranged between suitable supportsto take off the hair and dust.

In the treatment of some skins it may be necessary to have more than onekind of surface for the plucking-drum, so that they pass through aseries of operations employing either one or both forms hereinafterdescribed in conjunction with the previously described. As analternative form of flexible pluckingsurface the arrangement showninFig. 5 may be used: This consists of an endless leather band 41,having projecting flexible loops or ridges 42 formed thereon, of anysuitable material,'such as leather or cord, which is placed over thedrum 23 and the rubber sleeves 26 or over any suitable kind ofsupporting-drum and is kept tight by a spindle 4:3, which may be carriedin bearings 4:4: in the standards 1, as shown, or be a loose spindle. Bythe use of this band 41 with the loops or ridges 42 in conjunction withthe fluted or plain spindle 36 the fur may be plucked and polishedwithout the weight thereof being reduced when the action of the sleeves26 might be unsuitable for the class of fur treated.

In the alternative form of drum shown in Fig. 6 every other sleeve 26 isthe same, as in Figs. 1 to 5; but interposed between them are blocks orsleeves of rubber or other suitable material 45 of more or lessrectangular shape in cross-section, with the outer surface inclined toform a projecting flexible ridge 46 to cause a stronger action on theskin, which is useful in the case of old or coarse skins or under otherconditions and also serves to polish the fur thereof. The blocks orsleeves 45 may be held by the spindles 25, as shown, and if moreflexibility is desired they may have enlarged openings formed therein,through which the spindles 25 pass, as shown on the right-hand side ofFig. 6. V

The adjustable spindle 36 may be provided, as stated, withinterchangeable fluted metal or fluted or plain rubber sleeves, so thatthe metal sleeve can be used first to remove the hairs by its hardgripping action in conjunction with the drum 23 or the band 41 and thena rubber sleeve be substituted therefor to give a finish to the fur,while a difierent effect may be given to the fur by the use of the drum23 or band 41 and the rubber sleeve alone. The spindle 36 is madeadjustable, so that the machine can be used for plucking skins havinghairs of different lengths, for which purpose it is brought forward orbackward by the screw 30 for long or short hairs and also lowered orraised by screw 37 for tight or easy gripping.

The operation of this invention is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherewhen the machine is running the plucking-drum 23 and rollers 12 and 13are rotated, as indicated by the arrows. The table 8 is normally in itsrearward position, as shown in Fig. 3, and if a skin is held down infront of said table with the fur-surface toward said rollers 12 13 andthe table 8 moved forward by means of hand-lever 5, arms 6, and rods 7on its slides 9, as shown in Fig. i, the rubber-covered spindle 11 willbend and press the skin between the rollers 12 13 onto the surface ofthe plucking-drum, which being rapidly rotated beats the fur-surface upagainst the fluted metal or rubber sleeve on spindle 36, whosegripping-surface enables the hairs or kemps to be plucked out by thestriking action of the sleeves 26 against the metal flutings or therubber flutings or plain surface without injury to the fur, which iskept in an open condition by the bend imparted to the skin by therollers 11, 12, and 13. The rotation of the roller 13 draws in or feedsthe skin, and that of the roller 12 withdraws the skin in a verticaldirection, as shown in Fig. 4, for which purpose it acts against therubber-covered spindle 10 of the table 8.

I have before proposed to present a skin in a bent or open condition toa beating-roller by pushing it forward by means of a spindle betweenfeeding-in and drawing-off rollers, and I do not broadly claim such asmy present invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins, andin combination, a plucking device comprising a series of curved flexiblebeating-surfaces having an air-space on their rear side, means forholding such flexible surfaces at their inner ends only so that they areresilient from their base outwardly, means for rotating the same, and apart in conjunction with which such resilient surfaces work.

2. In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins, and in combination, aseries of resilient beaters composed of curved surfaces, of flexiblematerial having an air-space on their rear side whereby their naturalelasticity is increased, means for carrying and rotating the same, and aspindle in conjunction with which the resilient beaters work.

3. In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins, and in combination, aplucking device having yielding plucking-surfaces, means for rotatingthe same, a bracket pivoted centrally of the plucking device, a spindlewith which such device cooperates, and a part carrying such spindle andadjustable on said bracket whereby the spindle can be moved around theplucking device, and also be moved toward and away from the same.

4. In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins and in combination, anendless band, flexible loops carried by the same, means for carrying androtating said band, and a spindle in conjunction with which the loopswork.

5. In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins and in combination, anendless band having a looped surface, means for carrying and rotatingsaid band, a supporting-drum for the band, a spindle, means foradjusting same, and means for presenting, feeding in and withdrawing theskins to and from the looped surface and spindle.

6. In a machine for' removing hairs from fur skins and in combination, atable, means for reciprocating same, rubber-covered spindles 10, 11,carried by said table, a plucking device having yieldingplucking-surfaces, a spindle to cooperate with said plucking-surfaces,means for vertically, forwardly and rearwardly adjusting such spindle,feeding-in and withdrawing rollers, and means for carrying and rotatingsame.

7 In a machine for removing hairs from fur skins and in combination, atable, rubbercovered spindles 10, 11, carried by said table,

a plucking-drum, means for rotating same,

flexible rubber beaters carried-by same, a

fluted spindle, feeding-in and withdrawing 20 THOMAS CHAMBERS MILLS.

Witnesses:

GRAHAM BLUNT, FREDK. L. BANDS

